Shortly after Elfsborg cracked one against the crossbar last night I quickly scanned the Celtic team and had a thought. For the second season in a row we are taking on the Swedish champions but we’re missing two of last season’s big performers and none of this season’s new signings were ready for action. In short, this was Celtic 2012 minus Wanyama and Hooper. No wonder we looked unstructured.
Joe Ledley brought some vision to central midfield when he arrived, hopefully banishing the Brown-Kayal partnership to hidden corners of our mind once and for all. Anthony Stokes playing at the front of a wide diamond was equally effective. With the signing of Amido Balde, bids in for Kevin Doyle, and the addition of a wide-delivery-expert Derk Boerrigter, clearly Neil Lennon has a different plan for the months to come….. so there’s no real need for me to state the obvious.
Defensively we looked solid after a shaky opening few minutes. I’m not the only one who was a bit nervous about Efe Ambrose after he was (again) caught underneath a long ball, but he settled quickly. As we know to our cost, being great for 87 minutes is not how Champions League reputations are made, you are judged on your how vulnerable you become in your weak moments.
I said yesterday that Samaras and Commons were the two players who could cope at this level, which became plainly obvious during the game. Georgios was the one player who frightened Elfsborg, they either swamped him with four defenders or fouled him before he got near goal.
Kris is simply the most intelligent footballer we have. He is not the fastest, will never have the best stats, but he understands how games are won and is able to act accordingly. Without these two players Celtic would be distinctly vanilla.
Thanks to those who sent over their 1254125 Great Scottish Run details, I’ll have them on the page later.
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PF
I don’t go to india twice a rear…wtf you insinuating … :)
Che
Im off to goa November 15th … betcha we have the biggest game of the cl that fortnight im away … might sell you my ticket ;)
the boy jinky
22:05 on 1 August, 2013
As long as you don’t wrap it around that new cup of yours.
Morrissey the 23rd
22:00 on
1 August, 2013
Love Johnny’s guitar in that song!
Ho ho ho
Just also noticed from PThistle site their description of themselves as “Glasgow’s oldest professional club”.
Wonder when/if they’ll be forced to apologise!??
patrick27
22:02 on 1 August, 2013
Here’s hoping the gas telly shows us more than in recent times.
HH
weeminger
21:40 on 1 August, 2013
Correct …. they brought the game into disrepute…. easy for the SFA to answer…silly zombies…… funny that sevco are ‘championing’ perceived injustice to a deed club …
Che
I struggled to choose between ock and unt :)
Yorkshire’s brown and white !
love it
http://yorkshirestpauli.com/
TBJ
What you do in your private life is entirely your own business fella.
Re old celtic teams
Don’t think willie Lyon played centre half in front of John thomson.
Jimmy mcStay was centr half when John thomson had his tragic accident.
Willie Lyon was centre half in empire exhibition cup team. Played for QP before Celtic so probably too young to be at celtic park when John thomson played.
Burghbhoy
About 40 years ago my best friend from my primary school days came over from Canada where his family emigrated some years before. Anyway his dad took us over to CP and as it happens old Jimmy was there and he shook my hand.
I shook the hand of my Dads hero, the hand of the great man. To this day it stuns me!
Watched BT sport tonight …. So far, so (very) good ….. Will be cancelling Sky Sports next week methinks…
Che
Private .. in this world .. no such thing exists
Neveralone
I only regret I was too young at the time to realise the importance of the mhan .
I did however think that he must have been an important mhan to get an old man in his eighties greeting with sheer joy!!!
hrvatski jim
22:01 on 1 August, 2013
In my book Jinky and Henrik were legends after 5 ‘minutes’ ……
Embdy hear that rocket phoning SSB last night to complain about the ticket office and how there were queues halfway to Bridgeton 15minutes before KO …?
NAW? Good!!!! :)
Doc
MrsCRC says we should have had Miss Doc and CaityCRC there to make it 6s.
Dont think they would have done as well as the physios last nite :-)
HH
CRC
So let me get this right – our replacement for Hooper is Kevin Doyle? That is a joke isnt it? Please tell me its a joke?
Lennons Celtic has been stripped of two key players. Im looking forward to Neils additions making their mark.
God Bless Neil Francis Lennon
CRC, I think we should offer those physios a deal, for the Rhursday 5’s of course not for Celtic, I’d pay.
MrsCRC had a point, a couple of runners were needed.
Thursdays 5’s, but you knew that.
Shortie hurtin’ real bad…………..
anyBodyButCeltic
Shameful.
Neganon me aul pal
Kevin Doyle is a far superior player than Hooper
He may not sign but he is a much better player
Sometime in the late fifties early sixties I was with my dad and was introduced to Jimmy McGrory after mass at St Joseph’s Milngavie. Everybody was in awe of him.
Thought young Kev (the goal machine) made the difference tonight…..oh, and yer goalie helped too…..(PH)
Burghbhoy
Did you ever read Tom Campbell’s book CELTIC 1945-70? A great book BTW
In it he recalls as a young boy his father/grandfather walking him along Union St (?) and suddenly stopping, turning then running and shouting ‘Mr Quinn! Mr Quinn! After talking to the ‘old man’ his father told him, with tears in his eyes, “never forget you have shaken the hand of the Mighty Quinn”.
Generation follows generation…
Twitter.
Jill Dando was murdered as she was about to blow the whistle on a paedophile ring http://t.co/Q3YloBTonx
Neganon – have you watched him ( doyle) play in the hoops yet ? Or do you have special powers?
NegAnon2,
I couldn’t agree more with your assessment.
Angela Haggerty twitter.
#Sevco is seeking clarification for the fans, proclaims Craig Mather. Anyone seeking clarification for the #Rangers creditors? #liquidated
Neganon and parkheadcumsalford
So instead of Doyle ? Who ?
Hen
Not surprised….Barry George was blatantly ‘done up like a kipper’
67heaven … i am neil lennon..!!.. ibrox belongs to the creditors
Henrik was only a legend after 5 minutes if you were a hibs fan.
We may not agree on the timescale but we do on the ultimate outcome.
Re. Motherwell game against Kuban.
Bulgarian Ivelin Popov who scored two goals for Krasnodar was Lambert’s target one month back. Petrov prepared the deal and helped to agree personal contract for the footballer. Villa offer for Kuban was low and Russians knocked it back.
Ivelin Popop scoring ratio in Russia was fourth best. Second or third best assistant.
He could be great player for Celtic
Celtic earned 320 000 euros for getting to third CL round. Come one Peter Lawwell, buy Ivelin Popov or explain where is the money gone?
Young Kevin has the legs to keep running when we were flagging, and he is a more than decent player, even our tactic of kicking him failed!:-)
Were you our top score re btw?:-)))) only our goalie scored more og’s. that’s not fair, he also scored a couple of very good goals at your end.
Good fun.
I’ll be more up to speed next week.
RustyCSC.
Btw I don’t think Doyle is the complete answer but a good addition hh
NegAnon2/Parkheadcumsalford
can I ask what your view was at the time we bought Gary Hooper
In addition, Popov is attacking midfielder with above ratio, not the striker.